Seven Days
by creativecherry
Summary: "Go out with me, Yami." Marik Ishtar had only meant it as a joke, but what happens when he finds himself dating the infamous Yami Mutou for a week? Inspired by Seven Days by Venio Tachibana. Marik/Yami and multiple side pairings. Rated T-16  for now.
1. Monday AM

_When you fall in love… First you check out her face, then her legs, then __**probably**__ her chest if you're a guy._ Marik Ishtar tapped his pen against his desk as he stared down into the Domino High courtyard. There were two girls, likely freshmen, and Marik used them as guinea pigs to his thoughts. He didn't care for either of their faces. Their legs weren't amazingly toned or gave a hint at athletic abilities or anything. Marik's French lilac eyes drifted down to the two girls' chests. Marik had seen bigger breasts on men.

_What else is there to it?_ He wondered as be twirled his pen around his fingers. By now the girls had looked up and met Marik's gaze and smiled and giggled and waved at him. Marik glanced to his right, thinking that perhaps a friend of theirs had walked up behind him but there was no one there, so he turned back to the window and flashed the girls a charming smile. Their giggles drifted all the way up to the second floor and penetrated the glass.

Marik's smile dropped and he went back to twirling his pencil. _It's not just guys. Even girls are like that._ He thought as he watched them gossip amongst themselves, occasionally sending another look his way. _We don't understand things we can't see, like the heart of someone._ _The one those girls like isn't the real "me"._ The Egyptian paused in his twirling and gave a large yawn without even bothering to hide it. _It's just an image of me they made on my good looks._

A sharp thwack to his head pulled Marik abruptly from his thoughts. "Shit!" He yelled, startling a couple of students a few desks from him. Raising a hand to his head, Marik turned in his chair to see just who had assaulted him. "Mai…" Marik muttered at his friend and rubbed the back of his head. "What the fuck? Why did you seriously just hit me?"

"You bet, sugar." Mai smirked and brought a hand up to flip back some of her hair. Byzantine eyes glittered mirthfully down at Marik and he couldn't help growling a little. Of _course_ she would enjoy his pain. "I had to stop that totally lame yawning expression somehow. I don't care how much of a _bishōnen _you are, Marik. Any girl who saw that would have been totally turned off." The older girl crossed her arms under her bust. "I mean really. You need to pay more attention to your image. What would your girlfriend say if she saw that?"

The exotic teenager rolled his eyes and prodded at the lump forming where she hit him. "It doesn't matter what she thinks. She broke up with me yesterday." At the silence that greeted him, Marik sighed and untangled his fingers from his metallic gold hair. "She told me, 'Marik-_senpai_, you're not who I thought you were'." He shrugged his shoulders. "They all form these opinions of me on their own and when I don't live up to their expectations, they get all pissy."

"Well, you can't really blame them. The way you look and your personality are totally different. It's like you're tricking them." Mai said as she reached up to twirl a lock of hair around her finger. "The way you look when you wield a sword is very misleading. You look so strong and reserved. You completely embody the purpose of kendo when you step into the dojo. All these little princesses flock to you thinking you're this prince charming of their dreams." The glow in Mai's eyes brightened as Marik's expression turned sour.

"I guess there's no helping it then." Marik sighed, sometime he was noticing he was doing an awful lot lately, and leaned back in his chair. "Too bad there aren't more girls like you, Mai. I wouldn't have so much trouble if there were."

Mai brushed her hair back with a small laugh. "What, you want to go out with me, Marik?" She asked with a tilt of her head.

"Sure, why not?" Marik responded with even a second of hesitation. Mai Kujaku would make the perfect girlfriend by all of society's standards. Porcelain skin, high IQ, well dressed (if a little on the skimpy side), independent, and most importantly, Mai had the biggest set of knockers Marik had ever seen on a woman and they were real. He didn't know firsthand if the later was true, but Bakura had told him that they were, and quote, "one hundred percent all natural skin sacks filled with one hundred percent all natural fat."

Another sharp thwack dragged Marik out of his thoughts yet again. "I can't believe you! You've got some nerve answering so easily!"

"So is that a no?" Marik laughed and ducked to avoid a third swipe from Mai. _She could definitely back herself up too._ He added to the list of good qualities in his friend. While it was a little scary that a young woman would take karate and taekwondo, in Marik's opinion, it was also admirable and slightly a turn on.

"Hell no!" The upperclassman gave an indignant huff and narrowed her eyes at her junior. "You weren't serious to begin with!"

Marik only smiled and looked back out the window. "That's because you never know when you're gonna fall in love." Out of the corner of his eye he noted the look of surprise on Mai's face and smirked a little at it.

The two students remained quiet, both lost in their own thoughts, until a pizza flyer was slammed down on Marik's desk. "We should order pizza." Bakura told them and pointed at the pineapple pizza. "I want pineapple."

"I really shouldn't eat _pizza_…" Mai muttered while Marik looked at the toppings menu and pulled out his cell phone.

"Oh just order some fucking pizza, Kujaku. It'll go straight to your boobs anyway." Bakura said with a roll of his black coffee eyes. "But I don't really give a fuck as long as I get pineapples on my half of the pizza."

"Well, Mai?" Marik asked while he punched the number into phone and pressed it to his ear. "You have ten seconds."

"Oh fine. Just get me double cheese with spicy sausage." She said and Marik, with a slight face at the meat, dutifully ordered the three different toppings for their pizza.

Flipping his phone shut, Marik stretched and tried to tune out Bakura and Mai's bickering. It was hard, but as soon as he caught some of the gossip from some freshmen behind him, it became amazingly easy to ignore his two friends. The girls were talking about someone and sounded pretty worried about that someone, but Marik didn't catch the name and frowned. _Who would have so many girls worked up?_

Bakura snorted and brushed back some of his wild, bleach white hair from his pale face. "Sounds like that Yami hasn't shown up for classes yet today." The gruff young man said and propped his head up lazily with his fist.

"Yami?" Marik parroted and tilted his head back in thought. Why did that name so familiar. He thought back until a sudden memory from the dojo abruptly put a face to the name. "You mean that Mutou kid? Yami Mutou?" _Well that explains the freshmen._

His best friend gave him a suspicious look. "How do you know him? You two close or something?"

Marik only blinked owlishly before laughing at Bakura's jealous tone. "Great Ra, no. I've just seen him around the dojo." He shrugged. "We've said hi to each other a few times, but we've never talked." The Egyptian glanced over towards the girls again. "What's the big deal about him anyway?"

"Today's Monday." Mai said, gaining the attention of both males. "Today's the only day he's available."

"Oh." Both men said but Bakura continued to elaborate after a moment of thought. "That's right He dates someone new every week and then breaks up with them. He's ruining all the women in school."

Now it was Mai's turn to snort. "Why do you care? You're gay-"

"_Bi_." Bakura interjected in annoyance.

"-_And _you have a boyfriend."

"I don't give a fuck! He's still ruining everyone and imagine if he gets into guys!"

"Oh I doubt it. He's totally a womanizer."

Marik rubbed at his temples. _Is there no subject they can't turn into an argument?_ He wondered as he watched Bakura and Mai go at it again. What Bakura said though about Yami made him think. _So he dates someone new every week?_ If Marik though back and tried to pull together the bits of gossip he's heard, he thought he could remember a few stories about Yami outside of the kendo club. _They say he'll do whatever his partner for the week asks of him. I wonder why…_ Marik stood up and pocketed his phone. _Either way, it's selfish._

"I'll go wait for the food." He said, ignoring Mai's squawking about being left alone with Bakura and Bakura telling him _not_ to tip the delivery boy.

It was pleasantly quiet near the front gates and Marik sighed in relief as he plopped down next to the entrance. His thoughts slowly drifted back to Yami as he waited. _What sort of guy is Yami?_ He wondered, his head tilted back slightly to gaze up at the clouds. Even though they were both in the kendo club, Marik rarely saw Yami there. _He's probably just some pretty boy prick._

A bright red Porsche pulled up and Marik was startled into awe. _What, what, what?_ The pizza _delivery boy_ drove a Porsche? The thought was quickly wiped clean from his mind as tall, pale skinned boy with hair so wild that it rivaled even Bakura's. His uniform followed the dress code perfectly and Marik was slightly disappointed. The image he had of Yami in his head was so much more of a rule breaker, like him and Bakura, who always wore their shirts untucked and ties loose.

It was while Marik was checking the apparently infamous student that he noticed the petite brunette in the driver's seat. He tilted his head. _Who is that?_ He wondered as she sped off, his hair whipping slightly from the speed she drove past him.

"Hey."

At a velvet smooth baritone voice, Marik looked up and was surprised to see that Yami was standing next to him. Marik hadn't even heard the other teenager approach. _Ninja._ "Hey." Marik replied. "So who was that girl? Your girlfriend this week?"

Yami stared down at his senior before laughing, his hand instinctively moving to cover his mouth, at the blunt and suddenly statement. "No, _senpai_, she's not." Yami lowered the hand but continued to smile. "What are you doing out here?"

Marik continued to stare at Yami for a moment before dropping his head back against the wall. He game a longsuffering sigh. "I'm waiting for the pizza to get here."

"Oh, I see." Yami shifted from foot to foot. "Well, I guess I-"

"So if she wasn't your girlfriend, does that mean no one has asked you out yet?" Marik asked and couldn't help but smirk at Yami's expression. _He looks so surprised. Does no one ask him about this usually?_

The tri-hair colored teenager adjusted his hold on his black and gold backpack. "No, no one has asked me out yet." He said, almost hesitantly, as if he wasn't sure where Marik was going with the conversation.

If Marik was to be honest, he wasn't sure where it was going either. His mouth had gotten a mind of its own. "So you'll date the first person who asks you out, regardless of whether or not they're your type?"

"Type?"

"Yeah, you know, type. You have to have a type you _really_ like, right?" Marik asked and looked back up at Yami, who seemed to be deeply contemplating the question. _Are you serious? He doesn't have a type?_ Bakura was going to have a field day when Marik told him about that. He could already see Bakura's pranks, starting with _manwhore_ being spray painted across Yami's locker.

When he didn't receive a quick answer, Marik continued. "You know, like the calming type. Or someone who's really glamorous." Yami's face lit up suddenly and Marik was both curious and slight put off by the change. _I wonder what he's decided for his-_

"I like your face, _senpai_." Yami smiled handsomely and leaned more relaxed against the brick wall. "If that's what you mean by type."

_Is that so?_ Marik's expression was unchanging, even at the compliment, as he studied Yami. That hadn't been what Marik was expecting for Yami's answer. _I wonder then…_ Marik tapped his fingers against his knee as a thought suddenly occurred to him.

"Go out with me, Yami."


	2. Monday PM

"'_Go out with me, Yami.'_" Bakura mocked and promptly busted up laughing, or really, cackling. Marik leaned a little to the right to avoid being assaulted by a spray of pineapple pizza. "Are you serious? What did he say?"

Marik brought the pizza up to his mouth. "He didn't say anything." The Egyptian replied before he took a bite. Unlike Mai and Bakura, who still had meat on his pizza along with the pineapple, Marik's toppings were all vegetables. Just the thought of eating meat made his stomach churn, but he endured it for his friends. _They should appreciate that fact more._ Not that Marik would push his lifestyle onto theirs, even if the thought had crossed his mind more than once.

He sighed around a mouthful of vegetables and cheese. "The pizza guy came before he could answer." Marik propped his head up on one fist and took another bite of the slice. "It was only then that I realized I forgot my wallet…"

Mai, who had been reaching for her third slice – _So much for "I really shouldn't eat pizza" _, Marik thought – paused and looked at her golden skinned friend. "What do you mean? How did you pay for this then?"

"Yami paid for it."

Bakura started to cackle again and Marik moved even further to the right. "He _paid_ for it? You don't think he took your joke seriously, do you, Marik?"

Marik only snorted and rolled his eyes. "Why would he? We have our own reputation, there's no way."

"I wouldn't count on that, Marik." Mai frowned and crossed her arms. Marik noted that she ended up leaving the pizza alone. _Not for long._ He tried not to grin as she continued to speak. "Yami is pretty oblivious to that sort of things. Don't be surprised if he comes up to you and asks weird questions."

"So, in other words, the infamous Yami Mutou is _gullible_?" The smirk that had been slowly stretching Bakura's lips widened enough to challenge the Cheshire Cat. "Just think of what we can do to him, then!"

"_Bakura_!"

The youngest of the trio could only sigh and roll eyes again as his friends bickered some more. _That guy... He wouldn't really think I meant it, would he?_ Bakura had a point, but at the same time, so did Mai. Sure, Bakura was his best friend and they did have a reputation for being trouble makers, something they were both very proud of. The difference was that unlike Bakura, Marik _did_ have some sort of conscious. Did he really want to mess with the mind of some kid he barely knew?

_Well, I do know him, kind of, or I wouldn't even be thinking about it._ Marik thought and dropped his crust into the pizza box. At the same time, the door to his classroom opened and suddenly everyone went silent. Puzzled at the sudden change, Marik glanced around before he finally looked at the door. Who he saw at the door surprised him. Yami was in the doorway, glancing around almost as if he were uncertain if he were in the right classroom. "Yami?"

Hearing his name, the tri-colored teenager looked in Marik direction and smiled. Marik felt his stomach drop a little as Yami started to walk towards them. The golden mane student could tell exactly what Bakura, who had also grown silent for once, was thinking and with those thoughts in mind, Marik quickly got up and crossed the room in large strides.

"What do you want, Yami?" Marik asked, his tone coming out a lot blunter than he meant. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "I mean, if you want me to pay you back, I don't have my wallet on me so can I get back to you later on that?"

Yami seemed taken aback, but recovered smoothly enough and chuckled. Marik couldn't help shivering slightly at the baritone voice. Maybe it was just because of Mai heightening his awareness to the younger classman, but had Yami's voice always been so hot? "Don't worry about that,_ sempai_." The teenager pulled out a sleek, royal blue cell phone and flipped it open. "I was just wondering if I could get your number."

For a moment Marik would only stare dumbly at the man in front of him. "Uh, okay." He finally said and listed off his number to Yami without really giving it a second though. He was too preoccupied with the way Yami seemed to almost _glow_ after he had given him his number. _Does he do drugs or some shit?_ If he was, Yami needed to hook Marik up with whatever made him happy like that.

A vibration in his pocket startled him out of his thoughts and with a small frown, Marik reached into his back pocket. _Who the hell is texting me now? I swear to Ra, if it's Bakura..._ But the number wasn't Bakura's, it was some unknown number and Marik stared at it blankly.

"There, now you have my number too." Yami was saying and Marik looked up to find the man smiling warmly at him. Marik couldn't bring himself to say anything. "You know how to spell my name right?"

"Uh, yeah, I think so." Marik said slowly and looked back down at his phone. His fingers moved of their own accord as he punched Yami's name into his phone and saved the number. _What the hell am I doing?_

"Great! I'll text you later, okay? See you later, _sempai_." And with that, Yami was gone.

In the background Marik could hear Bakura laughing and telling him something or another. He didn't have to worry about responding though. Whatever the white haired delinquent was saying was enough to make Mai start arguing with him again. For once Marik was thankful for the constant verbal fights. This time it gave him time to think.

_What the hell was that about?_ Marik wondered as he slipped his black cell phone back into his pocket. _Don't tell me, is he serious about this? Shit._

Why couldn't Mai be wrong about something for once?

* * *

"I'm home!" Marik yelled out and slammed the door behind him. He threw his backpack down on the floor in front of the couch and promptly fell back on the cool leather afterwards. There wasn't a time that he could remember being as exhausted as he was from school.

After the whole ordeal with Yami, Bakura had heckled him constantly until Marik had wanted to strangle his best friend. _"Marik and Yami, sitting in a tree! F-U-C-K-I-N-G!"_ The exotic teenager could _still_ hear the pale teenager's song in his head and he groaned into the plush pillow near his head.

On top of Bakura, Marik had decided to ask Mai just _how_ she knew so much about Yami. _"I dated him for a week last March."_ That's what she had told him. Marik hadn't been sure if she had been bragging or not, but that statement alone had been enough to make Marik want to roll over, go to bed, and never wake up. _Okay, so maybe I'm being a little dramatic._ He thought and turned his head so he was no longer smothering himself. _But to date someone that my _friend_ has dated? That's wrong on so many levels._

With that one statement, Mai had also confirmed that Yami had taken his joke seriously. Marik still wasn't sure what he was going to do about the whole thing. On one hand, his conscious was nagging at him. On the other, despite his conscious, Marik was still considering what Bakura had more or less suggested he do. _People say Yami will do whatever the person he's dating wants for that week…_ Weird or not, an offer like that was a little hard for Marik to pass up.

_I wonder if he has any sort of standards._ He wondered and smirked a little. It'd be fun to find that out. Yami hadn't had a type, after all.

"I thought I heard a ruckus." Ishizu's mellow voice floated through the room. "Welcome home, Marik."

Marik rolled over so that he could peer over the couch at his sister. Ishizu Ishtar, elegant as ever, was taking off her gold earrings and other jewelry. Giving her a once over, Marik realized that she must have just gotten home from the museum. The young Egyptian woman was dressed in a pure white suit and low heels, making her look like the epitome of a business woman. Marik would blame that man she was partners with in business.

"Is Rishid home yet?" The youngest Ishtar asked and crossed his ankles as he got comfortable on the couch. For the moment his thoughts were far from a certain red eyed teenager.

Ishizu finished undoing her earrings and smoothed some of her hair back behind her ear. "No. He called me at the office to tell me he's covering a shift for a friend, so he won't be back till much later."

"Oh, okay. Valon?"

"Yes."

Marik sighed. That guy really needed to stop making Rishid cover for him. Better yet, Rishid needed to stop being so willing to cover for him. _Maybe I should talk to him about that when he comes home._ Despite being older than both of the Ishtar children, Marik often found himself thinking of Rishid as a younger sibling instead. Whether it was just his ego or Rishid's behavior at times though, Marik still hadn't figured it out.

"Oh well." Marik pushed himself and stretched. "Do you want me to cook dinner tonight, Ishizu?" He offered, catching his sister just before headed towards the kitchen. The teenager couldn't help the fond smile from tugging at the corners of his mouth. Ishizu's motherly instincts would run her into the ground long before her job as the owner of Domino's museum would.

Ishizu seemed momentarily torn between doing it herself or letting him do it before she finally sighed in defeat. "That'd be lovely. Are you sure?"

"_I'm_ the one who offered." Marik laughed and shooed his sister towards the staircase. "Go take a bath and change. I'll be done by then."

Marik's smile grew as Ishizu's laughter reached his ears. Once he was sure she was up in her room and wouldn't turn around and try to come back down to cook dinner herself, Marik walked into the kitchen. As he prepped the items he needed for a traditional Egyptian meal, he found his thoughts wandering back to a certain underclassman.

_There's not much I can do about it right now._ He decided as he diced garlic. _I'll deal with him tomorrow._


	3. Tuesday AM : Part One

Yami was startled awake by Nami Tamaki's _Realize_ blaring from the nightstand right next to his bed. Groaning into his pillow, the tri-colored teenager reached up to cover his ears. He knew that ring tone and didn't want to answer it. One crimson eye peaked out from the pillow. _5:04AM_ flashed neon green at him and Yami gave another grown. _What does she want at this hour?_

After a few torturous rings, his phone fell silent. Slowly Yami's eyes slipped shut and he tried to go to sleep, but his phone vibrated with a new voice mail. Blindly he reached out and groped around the nightstand until his fingers found his phone. They stayed there for a few minute as Yami's groggy mind tried to decide what to do.

_It's too early for this._ The Japanese teenager thought as he rolled onto his side and flipped his phone open. Unmistakable _kanji_ glowed on his screen and his lips turned a fraction downwards. _1 NEW VOICEMAIL. 5:06AM. ANZU MAZAKI._

Anzu Mazaki was his little brother's ex-girlfriend – she was also _his_ ex-girlfriend. Nothing should have happened between Anzu and himself, but somehow, _somehow_, the dancer had managed to get under his skin and seduce him into bed with her. And for reasons unknown to him – _That's a lie,_ his conscious hissed at him, _you loved her_ – he had continued to see her, behind his brother's back, until it came out into the open last year.

It had been a disaster, especially in terms of his brother's friends. Katsuya had tried to beat him _and_ Anzu to a bloody pulp and had only been stopped by the combined forces of their cousins. Ryo hadn't really said anything to him, but it was the feminine boy's silence that cut him. To compensate for his quiet nature, Ryo had long since learned how to make what he didn't say speak in volumes.

And Yugi, his precious little brother, his twin, his other half, had refused to look at him and still refused to. They lived under the same roof, shared the same food, classes, and he was lucky if his little brother spoke to him. It was almost worse when he spoke. Yugi would speak to him so formally, so politely, so _coldly_ that Yami couldn't stand it. Even after the others had forgiven him, with some manipulation from his cousin in terms of Katsuya (who turned into one of Yami's only friends after everything) and time with Ryo, Yugi still wouldn't forgive him.

Yami glanced at the phone in his hand and glared at it, as if it were its fault. In some sort of warped sense of reality, it was. If Anzu's number wasn't in his phone, Yugi would forgive him. So why in the name of _Amaterasu_ didn't he erase her number? _Because you still love her,_ that same little voice hissed at him.

With a sigh, Yami pushed himself up and swung his legs over the edge of his bed. There was no way he was going to be able to get back to bed now. His eyes slowly moved to the calendar on the wall opposite to his, placed masochistically on the wall that separated his room from Yugi's. It was a convenient twelve pages. Not only could he use it too keep track of the days and the names of the girls he dated each week, but it was placed so he could listen in on his twin whenever he missed him or was concerned. The calendar was a perfect cover up.

He still held his cell in one hand while he walked over to the wall. In his chest he could feel some sort of peace amongst all the turmoil in his own heart. Yami smiled softly despite himself and pressed his forehead against the wall.

It was the twin thing their grandpa had told them about all their sixteen years of life. It didn't matter that they were fraternal twins, something he had been concerned about as child, because their grandpa told him it was a bond _all_ twins had. Yami had been afraid the connection would be severed after everything that had happened, but time and time again that idea was proven wrong. There were still times when he could feel what Yugi felt. _Does Yugi still feel me too?_ Yami thought and pulled his head away to replace it with his empty hand. _If you can, Yugi, why won't you forgive me?_

Deciding he really needed to get his thoughts off their current subject, Yami forced his attention to the calendar again. Every Monday had a red circle and the name of whoever had asked him on in the middle. One name in particular stood out to him and made his stomach flip in weird sort of way.

The exotic, heaven sent angel of a human with bronze skin, hair the color of the Pharaoh's golden jewelry, and eyes that rivaled Yugi's amethyst orbs in rich color. The Egypt-born teenager who's eyes glittered with mischief and a sort of warmth that could melt even the coldest of hearts. There was something else that made Yami unable to describe how he felt.

Marik Ishtar was, despite the slightly feminine appearance, one hundred percent male. He had also been the first male to ever ask him out. Yami wasn't entirely sure why, considering he _knew_ there were other men who were attracted to him (as Katsuya had informed him of one time at dinner, in front of Yugi and their grandpa no less). He guessed it was because everyone assumed he was completely straight and, he guessed again, was completely closed minded about it.

But obviously his theory didn't apply to Marik. There had been no hesitation when he had asked Yami out and he still wasn't sure what to make of it. Not that he could really do anything about it even if he didn't like it. It was his policy to date the first person who asked him out on Mondays, no matter who they were, for one full week and _only_ one week. Love was supposed to be instantaneous. It had been like that when he first saw Anzu, so it should be like that for his next love. One week was more than enough for him to decide if he loved someone or not.

Maybe that feeling in his stomach was that? It was pathetically hopeful to think like that, but Yami couldn't help entertaining the idea. Sure, he had heard rumors here and there about the Egyptian and had more than once seen his and that Bakura fellow's handy work. Yet, despite that, Yami knew that there had to be _more_ to the other teenager. There was definitely a different side to Marik in the dojo and at the school gate, and even when Marik just walked across the classroom to meet him, there were different characteristics to the purple-eyed angel.

Marik was like a puzzle and Yami had always enjoyed solving them as a child, with and without Yugi.

It was with that thought in mind that Yami scrolled through his limited contacts until he came to Marik's number. And it wasn't until he had already pressed _talk_ and had the phone to his ear that he realized it was only _5:11AM_. "Shit." Yami muttered and brought a hand to his mouth. Marik probably wasn't up yet and the phone had rung one too many times for him to just hang up and pretend it never happened. _Maybe I could still-_

"Do you realize what fucking time it is?" Marik's voice was so loud with rage that Yami actually had to pull his phone away from his ear momentarily.

"I'm… sorry?" Yami offered hesitantly after dropping his hand from his mouth and fought down the sudden urge to laugh.

"You better be fucking sorry! I _hate_ being woken up this early." There was some ruffling on the other end of the phone followed by a loud thump and an equally loud curse. "You _better_ have a good reason for waking me up."

He could just picture how Marik looked right now. Marik had likely gotten up to get out of bed and only succeeded in either bumping into his nightstand (or some other furniture) or fell to the ground. The Egyptian's golden locks must be rivaling his own in terms of defying gravity, purple eyes seeing red and a vein bulging on his forehead. The crimson eyed teenager covered his mouth again. His imagination wasn't helping this matter at all.

"I'm very sorry?" Yami said, voice quivering slightly and muffled by his hand. It was all he could say, because he really didn't have a reason. What would he tell Marik anyway? That his fingers moved on their own accord?

There was a long pause and Yami had to pull his phone away again just to make sure the call didn't end. It was as if Marik knew, because he didn't start yelling again until Yami had the phone to his ear again.

"Are you an idiot, huh? Are you a _complete_ and _total_ moron? Huh?"

This time Yami couldn't help laughing this time and nodded even though Marik couldn't see him. "Yes, I am a complete and total moron. I'm very, very sorry."

"Don't laugh when you're apologizing!" Marik barked at him but Yami couldn't help it. "And now that I've been woken up, I can't exactly go back to bed, now can I? So what am I supposed to do now?" There was a bit of shuffling and it sounded like Marik had opened his curtains. "Are you serious? The sun isn't even up yet? I'm so _pissed _right now. I want to punch you in the face."

Yami smiled. _This guy really does go to the beat of his own drum, doesn't he?_ "Would you like me to come over so you can punch me, then?" His inquiry was met with silence and again Yami pulled his phone away. _He went quiet again…_ It was a little scary. Did that mean Marik was considering it? _I hadn't actually meant-_

"Yami?"

There was a change in Marik's voice and Yami wasn't sure if he liked it or not. Marik didn't exactly sound angry anymore, but there was something in his tone that made Yami almost uneasy. Maybe Marik had honestly taken him literally. "Yes?" He replied hesitantly.

"You'd better come to practice this morning."

The tri-colored teenager was taken aback. "Pardon?"

"You heard me! I want you to come to practice for that club you belong to but never show your face to anymore."

"Kendo club?" Well now, this sort of seriousness over a club wasn't something Yami had been expecting. Marik definitely didn't look like the type. _Another side to him, then?_

"That's the one!" Yami cringed at sarcastic peppiness in Marik's voice. "I've decided I'm going to go today, so you better come too." _He's decided he's going to go? And he's bitching at me over not going?_ "As revenge for waking me up so early, I'm going to run you through a million drills like an evil-task master, got it? Now that's settled, I'm going to go make coffee. I better see you at _7AM_ sharp. Goodbye."

Yami stared down at his phone in amazement and listened to the dial tone. Then he smiled and snapped his phone shut. Coffee didn't sound half bad right now, especially if he was going to have to get to school early in time to get into the kendo gear. "An evil task-master…" Yami chuckled.

Today was definitely going to be an interesting day and he couldn't wait.


	4. Tuesday AM : Part Two

The dojo was buzzing with excitement at the match between the two men in the middle of the floor. It was quiet when the men would stand off before the room would erupt with cheers for each blow that landed or each lock they freed themselves from. Every move they made was fluid and carefully calculated, showing off the skills of the more elite, polar opposite to the new comers who were too wired to collect themselves to fight properly.

Yami was in awe. He was with the rest of the students, on his knees in the traditional black and white _hakama_ that was required of all the male students in the kendo club. Unlike the other students though, he did not yell and cheer or anything like that. He stayed quiet, clapping when was necessary and spent the rest of his time focusing entirely on one of the two swordsmen.

_I've wanted to see how beautiful he looks when he fights._ Yami thought and clapped once again, with more vigor, as the duel was won. His expression, which he had schooled to be calm and focused, softened as one of the men did a victory yell and punched the air. _How cute and… un-kendo like._

The one who gave the yelp removed his _men_ and shook the _tenugui_ free from his head, allowing his slightly damp, liquid gold hair to spill down his neck – or at least as far as it could fall. Marik's hair was pulled back into a high pony tail and Yami was momentarily taken aback by how sharper and feline, _breath-taking_, Marik's features were when his hair was out of his face. Even his bangs were pinned back to prevent them from obscuring his vision. It was a little feminine, but who would dare say that to the _4-dan_ prodigy?

"_Tch_. You got lucky, Ishtar." Bakura growled as he removed his own headgear and glared at his best friend, who only glowed at his words.

"That had nothing to do with luck. You're just getting rusty in your old age, Bakura."

"Bullshit!"

The friends' friendly quarrel became background noise the longer Yami watched the way Marik laughed and smiled and avoided being struck by Bakura's _shinai_. He couldn't tell if his stomach had dropped or if his heart jumped into his throat. Would Marik ever look at him that way?

_Wait, what am I thinking?_ The junior student thought and brought two fingers to his lips with a frown. It had barely been a day since Marik had asked him out. _There's no way… Could it be that-?_

A sudden _thwack _startled Yami out of his reverie and he looked up to see Marik looking down at him with a cross look. Over Marik's shoulder, Yami could see their _sensei_ scolding an equally miffed white haired delinquent. It took a surprising amount of effort to keep from laughing and Yami flashed back to his conversation with the teenager in front of him hours ago. The two friends' anger was really more amusing than intimidating and Yami didn't have to look around to see that he wasn't the only one having a hard time not laughing.

"Get your ass up, Yami." Marik peered down at him, bending at the waist to be at Yami's level and using his _shinai_ as a prop. "It's time to run you through some warm ups, then you're going to go up against Kajiki." He jerked his thumb towards the zealous, blue haired teenager.

The smirk tugging at Yami's lips immediately fell but he didn't say a word as he stood up to follow Marik to the far right side of the dojo. It was as if the other students noticed him for the first time and throughout the drills and warm ups, Yami could feel their eyes burning into every part of his body. The attention was easy enough to ignore, but once Marik deemed him ready and he was sparring with Kajiki, it became a lot harder.

"Hey, that's Mutou-_san_, isn't it?" One of the freshmen whispered to a senior next to him.

"Yeah, even though he barely comes to practice, he decided to show his face today."

"Is he really that bad?"

"Do you ever see him around here?"

"Well, no…"

There was an annoyed huff. "See, even the lowerclassmen know he never comes around. Just who does he think he is? If he thinks he can just come here whenever he wants, he should get his head examined."

"_S_-_sempai…_"

_Hey, upperclassman, I can hear you, you know._ Yami thought bitterly as he blocked a strike from Kajiki.

"No speaking!"

Both of the duelists jumped at the sudden loud command and, without breaking from their momentary stalemate, both stole a glance at Marik. The Egyptian past a glare over _all_ the students, who had fallen silent the second the words left Marik's mouth, before his cutting gaze stayed locked on the upperclassman who had been speaking the most ill about Yami. For a second, Yami's pulse picked up and it wasn't just from the adrenaline of the spar.

With a small smile, Yami gave a shout and broke the stalemate and became the aggressor, leaving Kajiki to defend. Despite those efforts though, with Yami's sudden burst of energy, the younger duelist landed more strikes to the sun-tanned teenager and within minutes won the match. And, despite the words exchanged before, the dojo erupted into cheers and claps at Yami's victory.

"Great job, my friend!" Kajiki declared with a heartfelt, buoyant laugh and clapped Yami on the back with enough force to make the smaller teenager stumble forward slightly. "You must show me your training technique someday!"

Taken aback, Yami could only stare up at Kajiki's smiling face before the fisherman's son's laughter got to him and he laughed as well. "I'm afraid that's a secret, Ryota-_san_."

In response Kajiki only laughed and Yami stumbled again as the tall teenager smacked him in a brotherly gesture. Yami didn't mind. He was too busy staring at the teenager a few feet in front of him. Marik stood at his full height, clapping along with the rest of the club and staring directly at _him_ as he smiled, revealing his dazzling ivory teeth.

Heart hammering against his ribs, Yami returned the smile. _I always thought he was the most beautiful when he was in this dojo._ He thought and walked towards the exotic man who was stirring so many emotions in Yami so suddenly. _Until today._

_

* * *

_

Yami stood outside the locker room, change of clothes in hand and unable to move forward. Naturally, once the club time was over, all the boys made a beeline towards the showers, eager to wash the sweat from their bodies after the grueling training. And naturally, Yami was one of them until he realized something incredibly important just before he stepped into the room filled with half naked, if not entirely naked men.

There was a definite possibility that Yami would see Marik naked.

On one hand, the thought entirely thrilled him. _That's not right. I'm not a pervert!_ Which was why Yami stood outside, sweaty and dirty, as he struggled with an issue that _shouldn't_ have been an issue in the first place. _What does it matter? It's not like I haven't been in there with him before._ But Yami hadn't had a reason to really look at Marik in the showers before, not like he did now. _Wait. Shit._ Maybe he _was_ a pervert.

Shaking his head at the absurdity of his own thoughts and actions, Yami walked into the changing room and went to his locker where he changed out of his _hakama_ and wrapped a worn, rather thin white towel around his waist. Unconsciously, he took a deep breath to calm himself before he made his way to the showers. It was childish to get worked up over something as small as a shower – it was only when he walked into the shower room that he decided maybe it _was_ something to be concerned about.

He had been so caught up in his head that he hadn't taken in his surroundings in the other room. If he had, he would have realized that most of the students had already finished their showers and were already getting dressed to leave. There were only a few students left in the showers, basking in the warm waters that rained down on their tired bodies and revived them, and one of those students was Marik Ishtar.

It was hard to guess if it was a blessing or tragedy that Marik's back was to him. Water cascaded down his body, running over every inch of toned muscles and exotic flesh. Yami's face flushed a light pink as his eyes as he checked Marik out from bottom to top, admiring his perfectly shaped buttocks for a few moments longer than what was appropriate. What took Yami's breath away the most though wasn't Marik's tempting body though. It was the strange tattoo that covered the Egyptian's entire back.

_What are those strange markings?_ Yami wondered, but before he could get a better look, he found himself staring at Marik's chiseled chest and abs instead and – _Oh my god._

He was certain his face matched the red of his eyes as Marik pinned him with a surprised, yet equally amused stare. Yami's first impulse was to turn away and just take a damn shower, a really _cold_ shower, but there was something in those endless pools of dark lilac eyes that kept the pale teenager from moving. Abruptly the Japanese male realized that Marik was looking _him_ over and his eyes were glued to his lower body.

"I thought you rose to the occasion before but now…" Marik said and tilted his head thoughtfully. "I think that's almost more impressive than your win over Kajiki."

Yami blanched and finally regained his ability to move. "Don't joke around like that."

"Hey, I'm not the one sporting a hard-on right now."

Hastily Yami walked towards one of the showerheads and turned the water on as cold as possible. _I was afraid this would happen. No, I knew this would happen._ What ever it was that had happened that morning during the phone call changed everything. This entire situation was almost eerie similar to how things started with Anzu. She had been sporty, attractive, and outgoing just like Marik and Yami had fallen hard and fast for her, just like he was certain he was now for the man behind him.

_Wait, behind me?_ Yami moved to turn but could only tense as a strong, lean arm brushed over his shoulder and turned the water to hot. He stiffened, in more ways than one, once his chaotic mind registered the fact that Marik was pressed up against him from behind and that Marik's body was hard, hot, wet, and _naked_. Where did Marik's towel go, anyway? Did he even bother with one?

It was becoming a trend for Yami to fight down laughter, regardless of the cause, when Marik was around. _This can't be good for my sanity._ He thought and tried to move away from the teenager behind him, only to have Marik follow and pin him right up against the wall. Yami couldn't think straight long enough to decide how he felt about the situation or what he was going to do, or more importantly, how he felt about the Egyptian that put him _in_ the situation.

"I live in West Domino." Marik spoke like they were discussing the weather; like they weren't in the showers and that he didn't have Yami in a compromising and admittedly arousing predicament. "As my boyfriend, you're supposed to take me home, right? Make sure I don't get into any trouble? So I want you to meet me at the Domino Station after school and keep me company on the ride home." And with that, the heat at Yami's back dissipated.

Over the sound of his heart pounding in his head and the shower, Yami heard the sound of a locker opening and closing, followed by the sound of the door to the locker room a few minutes later. Alone, Yami let out a breath he wasn't aware he had been holding and slumped against the cool tile wall, his forearms the only things keeping him from getting a concussion. This really _was_ just like how it had been with Anzu.

Blindly Yami groped around the wall for the fixtures to make the water as cold as possible. He needed to gather his bearingsand quickly. There was still the rest of the school day to go through and he had promised Katsuya his notes for calculus before class and he definitely couldn't face his friend in his current state. And then there was Marik's request.

_He could have just _asked_ instead of doing this to me._ Yami sighed and pulled himself up to his full height. Tilting his head back and closing, he enjoyed the icy water that rained down on his flushed face and burning body and tried to think anything besides the Egyptian who was, whether the other boy realized it or not, rapidly winning Yami over.


	5. Tuesday PM : Part One

"Thanks for walking with me, Jonouchi-_kun_." Yami said humbly as he descended the last few steps to the school gates.

"No prob, Yami." Katsuya made a rather graceless leap from the fifth step to the bottom, almost landing in a face plant but somehow the dirty blonde managed to catch himself and instead stumbled to the gate.

The display caused Yami to laugh as he joined his friend and began down the sidewalk to the train station. Yami could never begin to express his gratitude that Katsuya had remained his friend even after the whole ordeal with Anzu. Katsuya even forgave him, albeit a little grudgingly, for keeping in contact with the brunette after all was said and done. _"As long as you don't hurt Yug again, I don't give a shit what girl does." _Katsuya had told him after confronting Yami, showing he trusted Yami to keep his hands to himself but not the girl who had seduced his two friends in the first place.

He really didn't deserve the brown eyed teenager's friendship.

"So, man," Katsuya was saying and dragged Yami from his pessimistic thoughts. "Why are you going to the station, anyway? It's not like you have to take it to get home."

Yami kicked at a small rock on the sidewalk and watched it bounce into the road. _Could I lie to him?_It was doubtful. Katsuya knew when you weren't telling the truth, just like he always knew when something was wrong. The teenager's intuition was rather amazing and, at times, really annoying. Now that he thought about it, Yami wonder the question was Katsuya's clever tactic to ask what was wrong considering Yami had been spacing out all day. _He's been hanging out with our cousins way too much. _Even Joey's rough speech was a lot cleaner, something Yami still found somewhat disturbing.

"_Senpai _asked me to escort him home." Yami was somewhat surprised at Katsuya's questioning look. _News hasn't gotten around about Marik? _He had expected that Marik, or really, Bakura, would have jumped at the chance to spread rumors that he was gay, or at least bisexual, which Yami assumed he was now. "Marik-_senpai_'s the one who asked me out yesterday." Yami clarified.

Katsuya's confusion morphed into surprise before settling on amusement. "I didn't know you swung that way, Yami."

"I'll accept the proposal of anyone who asks me out on Monday, you know that." Yami huffed and adjusted his backpack, perfectly aware at how horrible that sounded but Katsuya knew all about Yami's calendar. "I don't think the men in school had the courage to, or thought they could."

"I don't blame them. You don't exactly scream 'gay', man, even if you do wear tighter pants than Kaiba."

The statement made Yami pause mid-step and give the dirty blonde a strange look before laughing. "I don't think he would be happy to hear you comparing me to him."

Katsuya just snorted and his deep brown eyes glittered with mischief. "He can suck it if he has a problem with it and like it."

Yami shook his head with another laugh and returned to his place at Katsuya's side, matching him step for step. The next few minutes were filled with mindless chitchat and it quickly became apparently that Katsuya was sparing Yami from any sort of interrogation, something that relieved the tri-colored teenager greatly. Like they say, what happens in the locker room stays in the locker room, especially if it happens in the showers.

Halfway to the station they past Domino's main park and it was there that Katsuya made a sudden veer to the right, shouting some sort of greeting. The abruptness of it left Yami dazed in confusion until he looked in the direction his friend ran off in. Behind Katsuya was a slightly shorter teenager with a brilliant tint of spring green hair and a light purple blazer and behind the duo were four other, younger boys with the same light, minty green hair. Yami smiled fondly and slowly made his way to join his friend. He hadn't seen Espa since he dropped out of school to take care of his brothers and, by the way Katsuya had reacted to spotting Espa, Katsuya hadn't either.

After taking only a few steps, however, Yami noticed another figure he hadn't seen in a while. He glanced at where Katsuya was with Espa before changing direction to join the brunette with the purple bangs. "Hello, Ryuzaki-_san_."

Ryuzaki started slightly and instinctively glared in his direction, only to relax and give a slight smirk once he recognized Yami. "Well, if it isn't Yami Mutou. I haven't seen your face in a while."

"I could say the same to you." Yami replied with a grin of his own and sat down next to Ryuzaki. Once he did, he realized that the bench was directly across from the playground that Espa occupied with his brothers. He gave a subtle glance at Ryuzaki and the playground and noted with amusement that Ryuzaki seemed to be _watching _the green haired boy. "Ryuzaki-_san_?"

Ryuzaki grunted in acknowledgement, his eyes fixed ahead of him.

"Are you staring at Espa-_san_?"

This time Ryuzaki started violently and turned to Yami so quickly that the pale teenager almost toppled off the bench in surprise. "Don't say gay shit like that, Mutou!"

Red eyes blinked owlishly at the ruffled young man. That hadn't been the reaction Yami had expected at all. Raising a slender eyebrow, Yami cautiously sat up straight and stared down at the rough brunette. "I wasn't aware I said anything _gay_. I was simply inquiring something. Are you friends with Espa-_san_?"

Black coffee colored eyes flashed suspiciously before they looked away from Yami with a sort of defeated light to them. "No."

_I wonder… _"Do you want to be?" Yami asked curiously.

"What did I say about saying gay shit, Mutou?" At the slight annoyance in Yami's expression, Ryuzaki grumbled to himself before shrugging his shoulders stubbornly. "I don't know. Maybe."

It wasn't a real confession, but Yami would take it. "I think I heard Jonouchi-_kun _mention once that Espa-_san_ loves pizza."

Ryuzaki turned to Yami with confusion etched into his face. "What?"

"Why don't you ask him to lunch? As friends, of course." Yami added hurriedly when Ryuzaki's expression began to turn sour. "Although there would be his siblings to deal with."

"They aren't a problem." Ryuzaki muttered, mostly to himself and Yami wondered if he even realized he had said it out loud, or how gently he said it. "Do you think he'd accept?"

Yami couldn't stop a smile from tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I'm sure he would. Espa-_san _is a good person." He took a glance down at his black digital watch and with an inward curse, Yami made a move to stand. "I'm sorry, Ryuzaki-_san_, but I have to go. It was nice seeing you again."

"Wait!" Yami turned to see Ryuzaki standing as well and pulling out his purple cell phone. "What's your number? You know, in case I… need another suggestion or something." The dual-colored teenager tacked on in a mutter.

Chuckling, Yami exchanged numbers with Ryuzaki before waving goodbye and jogging off. At the park entrance, Yami called out to Katsuya and he watched as Katsuya gave Espa a shit-eating grin and a pat on the shoulder before he ran over to join Yami.

"Man, it was nice to see Espa again. I don't know how working so many jobs doesn't wear him down to the bone." Katsuya said and started down the sidewalk again.

Yami followed and glanced over his shoulder, smiling when he saw that Ryuzaki had taken his advice. He was still smiling when he quickened his pace to catch up to Katsuya. "Yeah, Espa -_san _is a good person." He repeated, causing Katsuya to nod in agreement. _And good people deserve happiness. Ne, Ryuzaki-_san_? _

_

* * *

_

Marik was leaning against a pillar near the platform when Yami ran up to him. When he reached the golden haired Egyptian, Yami gave a deep bow. "I'm sorry, _senpai_. Have you been waiting long?"

"Yes." Came the automatic reply, but upon seeing Yami's stricken face, Marik laughed. "No, I haven't. I actually just got here myself." Marik rolled his eyes and pushed himself off the pillar. "That damn Bakura hounded me the whole way here, demanding I take back calling him old.

Anyway, do you want to get a drink or something before we get on? There's a vending machine over there."

They both got drinks before boarding, a can of grapefruit juice for Marik and apple juice for Yami, and took a seat towards the door. There were surprisingly few people on the train and Yami eased back into the seat, relaxing at the low hum and vibration of the train as it took off and the otherwise quiet of the couch. His eyes slowly fluttered shut, the intense training in kendo and the rest of the day catching up to him, only for them to snap open at a sudden weight on his right side.

Glancing down, Yami's heart swelled in his chest slightly. Marik was leaning against him, either asleep or almost there, with his unopened can of juice weakly in his grip. Careful not to disturb the exotic teen, Yami reached over to take the can and put it inside his bag along with his own can of juice. Marik only stirred enough to turn his head, burying his head further in Yami's pale neck and the motion, however innocent it was, made Yami's cheeks flush slightly.

_No, I shouldn't think about something like that in this situation. _Yami scolded himself and let his head fall back with a sigh. Thoughts like that didn't make him a good boyfriend. It had been thoughts like that that made him lose Yugi when he gave in to Anzu. He didn't want to somehow ruin things with Marik too before they really started.

_What goes through Marik's mind, I wonder? _Did he struggle at all with thoughts like Yami's or anything else? It amazed Yami, it really did, that Marik could act like nothing happened in the shower and he could lower his guard like this with Yami. Had it affected him at all? And why was Yami thinking so much about it when he should move on like Marik apparently had?

Marik muttered something in his sleep, drawing Yami out of his thoughts and for the first time he realized that Marik was shivering slightly. It was getting a little cold as the sun descended and while fashionable, their uniforms didn't really offer any sort of warmth. A smile tugged at Yami's lips as he maneuvered the arm Marik was lying on around his waist, pulling Marik closer and allowing him to gently rub Marik's side and arm to create some friction to warm him up. His actions were rewarded with a grateful sigh and a sliver of those breathtaking purple eyes that rivaled Yugi's in beauty before they were closed again.

As Yami watched the clouds turn into shades of pink and gold, he couldn't bring himself to think about anything negative anymore. How could he when he had a stunning man in his arms and his heart feeling like it'd burst?

All Yami wanted at that moment, more than anything, was for time to still and trap them in that moment for a little longer.


	6. Tuesday PM Extra: Ryuzaki and Espa Roba

Why was it so hard to just get up and ask someone to pizza? It shouldn't be. Ryuzaki knew that and it annoyed him to no end. It wasn't like he wanted anything more than just getting to know Espa. After seeing him so many times, like at the department store Ryuzaki worked at, he was curious. That was all. Nothing more. _Right?_

_Oh for the love of._ The brunette growled to himself and shoved himself off the bench. Yami had given him the perfect chance to talk to the boy who had captured his interest months ago and he'd be damned if he let it slip by. Telling him the price of his groceries and shit didn't count as conversation. Espa wouldn't remember his face like that. However, that fact was a great cover up for asking him out.

Ryuzaki growled lowly to himself. What the hell kind of thought was that? It sounded so, so _gay_ and if there was one thing Ryuzaki wasn't, it was gay.

His angry brooding was cut short by a medium sized ball flying through the air and knocking him on the side of the head. The suddenness of it caught Ryuzaki off guard and stunned him into silence, rather than whirling with a harsh retort on the tip of his tongue. The red sphere bounced around his feet before rolling towards the culprits and, in a daze, Ryuzaki followed it.

"Look at what you did, Irvo!" A little boy with a brilliant tint of spring green hair yelled. He didn't look much older than eight years old and had a spiral lollipop in one hand.

A much taller boy, maybe around twelve years old, gawked at the younger one. "Me? You're the one who threw it, Aura!"

Brushing some of his purple bangs from his face, Ryuzaki could only watch as the siblings argued. The ball hadn't knocked so much out of him that he didn't recognize them instantly. Two of Espa's little brothers and now they had names, Irvo and Aura. _What kind of names are those?_ Ryuzaki wondered but then rationalized that Espa's name was well, Espa.

"Would you two stop it?" The tallest of the siblings so far, Ryuzaki would bet his age was fourteen, with a toddler on his back had joined the other two with a frown on his face. "You're upsetting Dium. Just go apologize to the guy you hit or I'll tell Espa."

The four of them approached Ryuzaki as a group and deep down Ryuzaki felt disturbed on some level and wondered if he should flee. It was sort of scary seeing four little kids that all look the same come towards you. He really wanted to ask Espa out and everything, but could he handle _five_ look-a-likes? _Wait, what am I saying? I'm Ryuzaki Dinosaur. Of course I can._

"We're very sorry." The two boys said in union and bowed in front of Ryuzaki. Over the tallest sibling's baby carrying shoulder, he could see Espa sitting on one of the swings, staring right at them. Of course Espa wouldn't dare let his precious brother out of his sight.

With a smirkish grin, Ryuzaki shifted his gaze to the younger boys in front of him and crossed his arms. "I'm not sure if I forgive you." Eight eyes snapped up to him and before their owners could protest, Ryuzaki continued. "But I might, if you get your brother to get some pizza with me."

All of them looked at him with slight suspicion and Irvo turned to the oldest of the four. "What do you think, Astra?"

Astra regarded Ryuzaki coolly with his small eyes that looked like cut emeralds, making the brunette teenager uneasy until the younger green haired boy smirked himself. "Do we get to come if we do?"

Ryuzaki snorted and let his arms fall to his sides, only to shove his hands in his tan jean pockets. "Yeah," He said as if it was obvious, and it really was. _I don't think I could _not_ have you all tag along._ "Just don't burn a whole in my wallet. Got it?"

The lightly tanned skinned teenager received a chorus of understanding and he watched in amusement as they ran off towards Espa, who kept his gaze right on Ryuzaki even as his brother enthusiastically told him about Ryuzaki's proposal. He shifted uneasily and fought the urge to look away._ Why do they all look at me like that?_ Was there something on his face?

Finally Espa stood and without even a word to his brothers, who stayed put where they were near the swings, strode over to Ryuzaki. Although he had realized it a long time ago, it still put Ryuzaki off slightly that Espa was a few inches taller than him. _Why the hell am I so short anyway?_ At least he was taller than Haga, but everyone was taller than him, even that Yugi kid.

"Who are you?" Espa asked, almost coldly, as he came to a stop in front of Ryuzaki.

For a moment, Ryuzaki thought of snapping at the paler teenager but quickly realized why Espa might not recognize him. At the store Ryuzaki had to hide his bangs because the manager was a real old fashion asshole. Even then, he'd think his facial bones would show him off a little. _Maybe he's just too stressed and focused on the money he's spending and his brothers to really look at me._ Now that he thought about it, Ryuzaki really couldn't think of a time Espa's eyes were really on him.

With that in mind, Ryuzaki cleared his throat and said what could have been the cheesiest thing he had ever said in his life. "That'll be 3,427 yen." He said and held out his hand.

The look on Espa's face was priceless. His eyes widened and darted back and forth as he took in Ryuzaki's face. It was obvious his mind was scrambling to put a face to location and once he did, the hardness in Espa's face softened considerably. "You're from _Namanamashii_ Market." He stated softly. "I'm sorry I didn't recognize you. Your hair…" Espa trailed off as he motioned towards his own bangs.

Ryuzaki just chuckled and tried to ignore the way his heart fluttered in his chest. _He does know me!_ "It's okay. The manager thinks that if people saw my hair, they'd think he hired ruffians or some bull like that."

The corners of Espa's mouth twitched. "I see. My brothers were telling me something about you wanting to take me to lunch...?"

"Ryuzaki." The brunette supplied helpfully and this time Espa did smile slightly.

"Ryuzaki-_san_." Espa finished and again Ryuzaki's heart fluttered at the sound of his name rolling off the green haired boy's tongue. Not trusting himself to speak, he just gave an affirmative nod. "Is that really okay? I mean, my brothers…"

The short of the teenagers waved Espa's concern off with one hand. It amused him that Espa was more concerned about his brothers, rather than the fact that someone who was more-or-less a complete stranger had asked him out. "I don't mind if they come with us. It's my treat." That seemed to make Espa more troubled and Ryuzaki sighed, biting down his instinctual annoyance. He could understand Espa's worries and, although he was slightly concerned about how much the youngsters might eat, he knew he had enough to feed all of them. "Really, it's fine. I mean, if you really want to eat with me."

For the third time in the past five minutes, Ryuzaki felt unnerved by those green eyes that stared at him like they could see into his soul. _Get a grip, Ryuzaki._

Finally Espa seemed to come to a decision and, with an almost defeated sigh, offered Ryuzaki a much larger grin. "I'd love to go with you."

Ryuzaki's heart threatened to hammer out of his chest as Espa turned to call for his brothers so they could all leave together. The four brothers walked in front of them, so that they weren't out of Espa's sight, while the said eldest walked in stride with Ryuzaki. The entire walk, Ryuzaki's heart never stopped thundering in his chest, blocking out the chitchat of the excited boys in front of them. He still couldn't believe that going along with Yami's advance had got Espa to go on a date with him, however an unofficial and one-sided date it was. And although they didn't really talk, there was a sort of comfortable silence between him and Espa and Ryuzaki was okay with it.

It wasn't like he could talk right now anyway.

* * *

Ryuzaki found himself staring in awe as Astra, Irvo, and Aura devour piece after piece of one of three pizzas they ordered. Espa had only gawked at them at first before scolding them, but his words went unheard as the children continued to destroy the first pizza. When they started for the second Espa gave up and grabbed the third pizza, which only missing two silences, and slid to towards his and Ryuzaki's side of the table.

"I'm really sorry about them." Espa said with a shake of his head and reached forward to get his second slice. "They usually have _some_ manners."

"It's fine." Ryuzaki chuckled and popped the last bit of his crust into his mouth. When he reached forward to get a slice himself, his hand accidently brushed Espa's and they both started slightly at the contact, though Espa was a lot better at covering it. Avoiding eye contact, Ryuzaki finished the movement and grabbed the delicious slice of combo pizza.

The rest of the dinner was filled with small talk between the elders of the group and more than once they had to fend for their pizza from Espa's siblings. Ryuzaki didn't completely mind though, not when all five of the brothers were positively beaming. _I wonder if Espa can afford to do this now and then, if at all._ Considering Ryuzaki had taken them to the best and most expensive pizza joint, he highly doubted it.

The smirk that had been tugging at his lips fell at the thought. He couldn't imagine what it was like to somehow manage enough money to pay for four people and a baby. What happened to Espa's parents, anyway? Did they abandon all of them? Did they die? _What?_

When the bill came, Ryuzaki had to contort his body in ways he hadn't thought he could in order to prevent Espa or any of his brothers from reading the bill. _I don't want to see that despondent look on Espa's – their faces._ Slipping his credit card into the band, Ryuzaki managed to slip out of the booth and made a beeline to the cashier, laughing a little to himself at the disgruntled protests by the youngest at the table.

"Thank you for lunch." The brothers chorused and bowed at the same time to him.

Ryuzaki quickly shook his head and shoved his hands in his pockets. "You don't need to be so formal. It was my pleasure." His deep brown eyes glanced towards Espa, who was regarding him with an expression Ryuzaki couldn't read. "Where do you guys live?"

"East Domino." Aura replied from around the lollipop in his mouth. Where the hell did he get that thing again?

"Why?" Astra asked not a moment after his brother.

Ryuzaki shifted uncomfortably for a minute, but he held Espa's gaze. "I was wondering if I could walk you guys halfway there or something. My house is near that area."

Astra, Irvo, and Aura seemed to perk up at the idea, Dium yawned and nuzzled into Astra's neck, and Espa seemed vaguely confused. The emotion didn't last long on his face and was gone as soon as his brothers turned to him with a "Please!"

"If it's alright…" Espa said hesitantly, looking up from his brothers and back at Ryuzaki.

"It's fine, I offered." How many times was Ryuzaki going to have to say _it's fine_ today?

The talk to the halfway point was much like the walk to the pizza joint, only Espa seemed even quieter than before. Every now and then from the corner of his eye, Ryuzaki would look at the boy next to him and try to figure out his expression, but he just couldn't tell what the other was thinking. _Shit, did I come on too strong?_ Not that he was coming on to anyone or anything.

"Hey, Ryuzaki-_san_." He heard Espa say softly after a moment and he grunted in response. "Remind me to ask you why you did this later."

Caught off guard, Ryuzaki's eyes snapped back to Espa, his head turned slightly. Espa was staring at him again. There was _something_ in Espa's eyes that made Ryuzaki's blood stir and with a smirk, he quite boldly said, "Want my number so you can ask me whenever you want?"

It was Espa now who was caught off guard and Ryuzaki relished in the surprise on his pale face. The surge of confidence did well to hide the pounding in his chest. Gradually a blush crept across Espa's cheeks and he was the first one to break the eye contact.

"Don't tease me." The green haired boy muttered as he stared at the sidewalk.

"I wasn't." Ryuzaki said instantly, growing somewhat irritated at Espa's gall. Why was he so suspicious? They knew each other now, didn't they? They were acquaintances. Espa could trust him.

Espa looked back up at him and for a second Ryuzaki's confidence wavered. Then Espa pulled out a small, white flip phone that looked worse for wear and opened it. "What's your number, Ryuzaki-_san_?"


	7. Tuesday PM : Part Two

"Yami, this is Rishid, my older-little brother. Rishid, this is Yami, my boyfriend."

The said boyfriend tried not to fidget under the darker man's piercing stare. Well, it really wasn't piercing at all, but the tattoos on the left side of his face and around his eyes completely countered the warm curiosity in his grey-green eyes. Maybe it was also the fact that Rishid was also taller than both Marik and himself and definitely had more muscle. Marik didn't seem phased whatsoever which lead Yami to open his mouth, and not to greet the other man either.

"Older-little brother?" Yami inquired, his ruby eyes moving back to Marik's, slender eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, this guy would let anyone do whatever they wanted with him if I didn't knock some sense into him." Marik said and jerked his thumb at Rishid who, to Yami's surprise, flushed ever so slightly at the golden teen's words. "He may be older than me, but that doesn't mean shit."

"Marik…" Rishid muttered before holding a large, calloused hand out to Yami. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Yami-_kun_."

"Likewise." Yami shook his hand and gave a slight bow of his head.

With the introductions out of the way and Marik satisfied, the said teenager went about scolding Rishid for missing dinner the other night. He was still on edge slightly, but it amused Yami to see Marik treating his older brother the way he was. It was so entirely different than his relationship with Yugi.

Marik punched Rishid lightly in the arm with a Cheshire grin before he looked at Yami. "Hey, we're going to have ful mudemmis with boiled eggs and I think we have some baklava somewhere, so you can have a few for dessert. Is that okay?"

"That sounds delicious. Thank you." Yami said politely. The Japanese teenager had absolutely no idea what any of that was, much less have any hope of repeating the names of the dishes Marik listed off. It would be rude to refuse though and Yami was sure Marik wouldn't make him eat something completely horrible. Well, sure enough, anyway.

An awkward silence filled the room when Marik disappeared into the kitchen. It was impossible to tell what Rishid was thinking, which left Yami to his own thoughts. Saying he had been surprised when Marik had asked him over for dinner would have been an understatement, even more so that Marik mentioned how if they were lucky, Yami could meet his family too. To Marik the introduction might have been nothing but to Yami, he felt like his heart would give out from how fast it was beating. It shouldn't have been such a big deal, but it was.

"I'm sorry Ishizu isn't here." Rishid spoke up suddenly, startling Yami out of his thoughts.

_Ishizu?_ Why did that name sound so familiar? "Excuse me… but who?"

Rishid chuckled. "Ishizu is Marik's older sister. She got caught up in work and cannot make it tonight. Your presence is certainly a surprise, though."

Marik had a sister? _Why did he refer to her as only Marik's sister? Aren't they all siblings?_ For the first time Yami realized just how little he knew about his current boyfriend and he was surprised at the strength behind the desire to know more about the seventeen year old now that it had been brought to his attention. It had been a _very_ long time since Yami had felt the need to learn more than the basics about his partner of the week.

"You aren't the only one surprised." Yami chuckled as well and felt his shoulders lower slightly, feeling less tense at the situation. This was going to go over just fine.

"So, do you go to the same school as Marik?"

Yami nodded his head. "I'm a year younger, but we're in the same club."

"_Ah_."

The question "How did you come to date my little brother?" or some variant of it never came. Rishid had admitted he was surprised, but was that as far as his feelings on the matter went? The rest of the small talk consisted of normal things, such as family, school, and work. Yami was grateful.

"So, where do you work, Rishid-_san_?"

"I work at Domino Mech. as a motorcycle mechanic."

The mention of motorcycles made Yami perk up from his position on the couch. At some point they both reached the logical conclusion that they should sit down and talk while they waited for Marik to finish cooking the dinner. Whatever that dinner was was beginning to smell good too, the aroma of the Egyptian cuisine drifting through the room. "Motorcycles?"

A small smirk tugged at Rishid's lips. "Yes. Both Marik and I ride them."

"Really! May I see them?"

Rishid glanced at the entry way to the kitchen before looking back at the pleasantly eager teenager next to him. "I don't see why not. We still have some time before dinner is done. Follow me."

The Ishtar garage was the cleanest garage Yami had ever seen. There were hardly any shelves and what shelves they did have were littered with reasonable size boxes. After a second glance Yami noticed that they were all color coded; boxes with purple duct tape had Marik's name, boxes with a light blue had Ishizu's name, and boxes with orange tape had Rishid's name. Even the garage floor seemed to be entirely dust free.

And in the middle of the garage were some of the finest motorcycles he had ever seen. Just one look and it was obvious that each bike was entirely custom made. One of the two motorcycles was entirely chrome painted with a gloss that shined a deep purple from the right angle and lighting, but that wasn't the most striking feature on the bike. There were butterflies painted in every shade of purple, brushed on in such a way that the butterflies looked like the usual flames one would see on a motorcycle. The other bike was painted a green so dark it looked black with gold Egyptian hieroglyphics written all over the bike.

Both left Yami entirely speechless.

To his left Rishid chuckled again and walked past Yami to the green and gold motorcycle. "Impressive, aren't they? It took Marik and I a long time to get all the parts and paint."

"You two made these?" Rishid had mentioned he worked with motorcycles but to make these? Had there been an 'expert' in front of 'motorcycle mechanic' that Yami hadn't heard?

Rishid made a noise of confirmation and moved to straddle his bike. "Marik asked me to, so I did."

"Why did he ask you rather than go to a professional?" The pale teenager asked absentmindedly as he circled Marik's bike before abruptly coming to a stop when he realized just how rude he sounded. "I'm sorry, I was just-"

"I asked him because he's a better artist than any other 'professional' in the area."

The sound of Marik's voice startled Yami enough that the about jumped straight out of his skin. Rishid on the other hand had apparently noticed Marik come in, likely do to the fact that Yami's back _had_ been to the door while Rishid had been facing it, and kept his poker face intact. Despite the polar opposite reactions though, it was obvious that both men had not been exacting the Egyptian teenager to make such a sudden appearance.

"And Yami? That motorcycle was here way before you, so you touch my baby and I'll dump your ass." Marik continued with a smirk. Yami was more than certain the golden blonde was amused at his reaction to his entrance. "If you two are done goggling over the girls, dinner is ready and waiting for you."

Dinner went by a lot smoother than Yami had daydreamed it would and the food was surprisingly delicious. But what was really the best part for Yami was the way Marik smiled when Yami praised him for the excellent food. It was like the smile Marik had shown him that morning at the dojo but at the same time it wasn't. This smile was a lot warmer, more childish.

_I want to see every single one of his smiles._

_

* * *

_

"Thank you for inviting me to dinner." Yami said with a deep bow. Ever the multitasker, he used the position to carefully pull his black sneakers back on without dropping the containers of leftovers in his arms. After dinner Rishid had put the food together and insisted that Yami took it back to his family and shared it with them.

When the tri-colored teenager received no response he risked a glance up and caught Marik staring at him with a pensive look on his face. The expression made Yami falter and he stood at his full height with only one shoe on, concerned that maybe something was wrong with the bronze skinned teenager. "Marik-_kun_?"

The contemplative look never left Marik's eyes, despite being caught, and served to make Yami all the more uneasy. Everything had gone well even with Marik's spontaneous invitation to dinner. What could have Marik so troubled?

"Why don't you stay over tonight, Yami?"


	8. Wednesday AM

_Yami looked around his room like it was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The pale boy had initially insisted he take the couch, but Marik wasn't going to have any of that. "You're my _boyfriend_, Yami." He had told the younger boy and crossed his arms, daring his said boyfriend to argue the point further. Yami didn't._

_So Marik took Yami upstairs and into his bedroom, not thinking that his secret would be exposed. The secret didn't even enter his mind until he walked back into the bedroom from brushing his teeth and saw Yami sitting awkwardly on the bed (Marik insisted that Yami didn't take a futon on the floor either), staring at the wall plug._

_He could feel the muscles in his back and shoulders tense, frozen briefly on the spot before Marik continued towards the bed. The tension didn't leave his body even as he lied down and turned onto his side, back facing Yami. The other boy didn't say anything, but Marik could feel the question burning into the back of his head as Yami stared at _him_ now._

_Pregnant silence filled the bedroom and Marik fisted the sheets slightly. The room was mostly dark, safe for a bubble of light on either side of the bed from the small lights plugged into the wall. Marik's cheeks burned._

"_I'm afraid of the dark." He whispered into the quiet, not even sure if Yami was awake or why he was telling his secret when the younger boy didn't question him. An invisible force, some sort of emotion, pressed against his chest and made it hard to breathe. He expected to hear the other teenager laugh (who still slept with nightlights at their age?) but the noise never came. _

_Curious as to whether the other boy was asleep, Marik rolled over and was surprised to find Yami staring at him intently. The soft light in the room made his red eyes glow and Marik felt his breath taken away from him once again. He did nothing as Yami reached out to wrap an arm around his waist, effectively stunning Marik entirely as he drew the Egyptian to his chest._

"_You don't have to be afraid of the dark." That was all Yami told him and it took Marik a few moments of listening to the other's calm heartbeat to understand what he meant. _

* * *

Marik awoke feeling more refreshed than normal, though he really wished he felt groggier. The lack of direct heat at his back told Marik that Yami was no longer in bed, but the warmth that was still in the sheets assured him that the younger boy had only just left. The fact that it mattered when the boy left his bed made Marik's insides cringe.

"What did he do to me last night?" He muttered, though his voice was so quiet that Marik wasn't sure if he said his thoughts out loud or not. His brooding was interrupted by a buzzing, a noise that might have not seemed so loud if his house wasn't so deathly quiet in the morning. Figuring that it was his phone, Mai sometimes thought it was necessary to call him to make sure he was up and ready for school, Marik reached out and groped around the nightstand for the cell.

It wasn't his phone. A slender eyebrow rose as Marik looked at his blank screen. He didn't even glance back towards the bathroom door as he sat up so he could reach further and grab Yami's cell.

_1 NEW VOICEMAIL. 5:08AM. ANZU MAZAKI._

Marik frowned and read the alert over again. "Anzu?" The golden haired teenager sat up completely, the sheets pooling around his waist as he did so.

"Oh, did someone call? I hope it didn't wake you up."

The sound of Yami's voice right next to him made Marik jump, his head snapping to the side just in time to watch an amused smirk tug at Yami's lips. With a huff, Marik shoved the phone towards him and got out of bed to go to the restroom himself. They needed to be ready and on the train by six to get to school on time. "Whatever, it didn't."

He was so focused on getting ready so they could have breakfast that Marik didn't notice Yami's expression.

* * *

"Ishtar, you kept me waiting."

Marik could only roll his eyes as he let his backpack slip from his fingers and land with a heavy '_thud_' on the floor near his desk. "Shut up, Bakura." He was vaguely thankful that Yami was a year younger than them and in lower classes. Heaven forbid the white hair man learn that the reason he was 'late' to class was because of the eldest Mutou they had been making fun on a mere two days ago.

_Bakura must never know that I invited him into my bed, even though we didn't do anything._ Sex, though, would have been more welcomed than whatever _had_ happened. Marik still couldn't decide how he felt about Yami's words.

"Hey, Bakura," Marik said, cutting his best friend off in the middle of whatever tangent the older teenager had been on. "Do you know an Anzu Mazaki?"

Dark, reddish-brown, almost maroon, eyes stared at Marik blankly through white bangs. "Am I _supposed_ to know an Anzu Mazaki?"

"Oh, that's right. I don't know why I asked when I, as your best friend, know that your head is always up your own ass." Marik sighed and twisted some of his hair around his finger in a bored manner. "Never mind."

Two desks shook and chairs fell, startling the other students. One from Bakura, who flew up in his seat and attempted to lunge over his desk and attack the golden haired teenager and Marik, who had been expecting it and shot out from behind his desk to run for cover. Laughter and curses filled the classroom, both sounds coming from the unruly boys, as Marik sprinted across the classroom with Bakura hot on his heels. Marik's quick getaway was interrupted however when he opened the classroom door and was forced to come to a screeching halt.

Mai only raised an eyebrow at the scene before her, taking a step back only when a white mass collided with Marik, making the tan skinned boy jerk forward, to avoid creating a domino effect. "I'm honestly surprised you two haven't been suspended for this kind of behavior." She was met with grumbles from Marik and curses from Bakura. "What _are _you guys doing anyway?"

"I was just teasing Bakura over his love for _shoujo_ comics." Marik said, laughter marking the end of his words as the man in question punched him in the arm.

"_Shut up_!" Bakura growled and crossed his arms, glaring at both of his friends. "And for the record, I buy those bloody things for _Ryou_."

"If that's the story you want to stick to, sugar, go for it."

Bakura only growled and stomped off to his desk, hand raised towards Marik with his middle finger erect.

"Alright, now that Bakura is thoroughly pissed off," Mai said, drawing Marik's attention back to her and bringing him down from his highly amused high. "I need your help with something."

That something, Marik learned ten minutes later, was struggling with heavy, dust covered boxes filled with art supplies for Mai's effeminate and highly eccentric homeroom teacher, Pegasus Crawford. It wasn't that Marik disliked the silver haired man. It was just that sometimes he feared for his wonderful backside when he was in the same room as Pegasus, even though Mai had told him countless times that despite his and Bakura's popular belief, her teacher did _not_ swing that way.

Marik struggled down the step stool with the latest box he heaved off the shelf – _why_ did they put such heavy boxes on the top-fucking-shelf anyway? – and placed it as carefully as possible on the floor so he wouldn't break whatever could be inside. Mai was sitting on one of the other boxes, mindlessly messing with the variety of paintbrushes in one of the jars Marik had found.

_I really should have seen this coming._ The fact that the closet was rather dark didn't help either. There was a single light bulb that illuminated the room, as even the light from the opened door didn't do much.

"You can take a break, you know. I'm sure this'll be enough for Crawford-_sensei_." Mai spoke up from her place upon the box, her eyes fixated on her purple nails. "And I'm going to need you to help me take this to his office."

Marik shot Mai a dirty look over his shoulder, but jumped down from the step stool regardless. "Thank you for the consideration." He mumbled dryly and sat on the top step of the stool. His eyes drifted up to single light bulb above him.

"_You don't have to be afraid of the dark."_ Yami's voice whispered soothingly in his ears and Marik suppressed a groan of frustration. Why was he _still _thinking about it?

The intro to Abingdon Boys School's _HOWLING_ suddenly filled the room and caused both Marik and Mai to jump. "What the hell?" That was a ringtone he wasn't familiar with. It wasn't till Marik had dug his phone out of his pocket and flipped his phone open that he remembered who he had assigned that ringtone to. He picked the song at random and laughed with Bakura about his choice Tuesday morning, but the words on his phone weren't funny.

_1 TEXT MESSAGE. 8:34AM. YAMI MUTOU._

_Would you like to go on a date with me today after school? _


	9. Wednesday PM

Marik flew himself down on his bed with an annoyed huff, turning his head to either side to look at all the clothes thrown about his bed. If there was any time he felt like a girl, it was now. It wasn't even a big deal, all it was a date with Yami and yet Marik had spent the better part of thirty minutes trying on about every outfit in his closet. He had agreed to the date, or rather Mai did for him because she snaked his phone from him while he just stared at screen wondering if Yami was on drugs again or some shit. He never even really went on dates with his ex-girlfriends, something that likely attributed to their ex status, and he couldn't help but wonder what would happen.

_Maybe I should continue what I started in the showers? _He thought as he shifted through the clothes on his bed for something, even if he had tried on everything, and eventually settled on a black tank top and threw his current blue jeans off to pull on a pair of grey. Mai always told him it was horrible that he did what he did on first dates, but really, Yami had started it all after practice when he apparently got hard just by watching him take a shower. Marik knew he was irresistible, but honestly. He did take it as a compliment though.

Smoothing out the invisible wrinkles in his jeans, the golden blonde grabbed a dark grey jean jacket from the pile on his bed and pulled it on and checked himself out one more time in the mirror before pulling a pair of black sneakers. _I wonder how he'd react to a little kiss?_ Yami had told him the date was going to be casual, at the little cafe near Domino Park. It was cute, really, because he just had a feeling the sixteen year old would want to go on a little stroll through the park with him. It wasn't all that private, but he was sure he'd be able to steal a kiss from Yami at some point or another. The only thing that could possibly go wrong would be if Bakura found them and decided to be a randomly jealous prick.

"Where are you going, Marik?" Ishizu asked as Marik bounced down the stairs, jiggling his motorcycle keys around his index finger. The eldest of the two had one eyebrow raised as she sat on the couch, coffee cup poised oh-so-elegantly.

"To meet my date. Did Rishid tell you about him?" He asked, pausing at the door to turn around and look at his sister. Ishizu nodded and brought her mug to her lips and Marik loved how cool she appeared despite the slight worry that pooled in her blue-green eyes. There were so many reasons for her to be concerned and Marik didn't really care for any of them. She was really a doll and Marik loved her with all his heart, but she worried about him too much. He was a big boy, after all.

"He says Yami-_kun_ is very nice." The young woman set her glass down on the table. Marik expected for her to voice one of the many doubts in her mind, but instead Ishizu simply sighed and said the last thing he expected. "Please try to be home before ten tonight."

Was she joking? Marik wasn't sure she _could_ joke. Such a time frame would be utterly impossible, especially if he met up with Bakura or Mai after the date. "Yes, mother." He humored her with a teasing smile. With the interaction done, and trying not to appear too eager, Marik continued on his quest to the garage where he very carefully pulled his baby out, donned his custom helmet, and sped out of the driveway and down the road.

* * *

Almost surprisingly Marik arrived at the café before Yami and took his time admiring the small menu they offered, or more importantly at the sandwiches they offered. He wasn't sure how well the spinach, tomato, onion, and cheese sandwich would taste with coffee, but it appeared to be the only vegetable only one available. Of course there was the opinion of ordering one of the many other sandwiches without meat, though after asking what exactly was in those sandwiches, Marik just decided to order the sandwich toasted with a cup of green tea. Coffee would have to wait until he finished the sandwich.

It was an afterthought, really, to text Yami and ask him what he wanted. Marik didn't mind paying. He would, after all, get a payment in return that was worth more than any amount of money. How would Yami react to his kiss? A few ideas came to his mind and Marik wouldn't wait to see which one of them became truth. There were a couple of reactions he hoped he'd get though, simply because they would be easier to play off to Bakura that it was still a part of the big joke their relationship was.

Marik really didn't like the way it sounded as if he was just trying to convince himself of that fact.

Yami arrived just as Marik was _finally_ collecting their food and drinks, and apologized profusely. It was amusing how formal Yami was and the slightest bit annoying. How could someone who hung out with the likes of Katsuya be so formal anyway?

"Can you drop the formality?" The older of the two finally said, cutting into whatever story Yami had been telling him. Marik was almost concerned with how it was becoming a habit, though at least he had a reason for being rude. His words stopped Yami in his tracks and Marik continued to eat his sandwich in the silence. _He has to think about it. Unbelievable._ The Egyptian was aware that the Japanese were highly respectful and so on, but there had to be a line about being too formal, right? _Something had to have happened to make him so formal… _Otherwise he was going to have to invite himself over and raid Yami's drawers for whatever he smokes in his free time.

After another minute or so Yami smiled a little and Marik, despite starting to lose himself in his thoughts, noted with a small sense of dread that seeing his smile made his stomach flip. "Okay, _senpai_ – I mean, Marik-_kun_."

"No, you're still being formal." Marik sighed heavily and set his cup of tea down. "Just call me Marik. I never put those honorifics at the end of your name, do I?"

"No, but Marik-" There was that flip in his stomach from hearing his name and seeing that smile again. "-you're not exactly well known for your manners."

"I'll have you know my manners are pretty fucking amazing. Don't laugh, asshole, I'm being serious!"

The conversation continued that way and they drew more than a couple of glances, or rather all the looks were directed at Marik but he refused to be censored. And the more important thing anyway was at how _normal_ the date was. They were talking, laughing, everything any other couple would do. It was as nice as it was extremely strange. "Let's fix this, shall we?" Marik said to himself as he washed his hands off in the café's bathroom sink and strolled back out to where Yami was sipping on his chai latte.

"Want to go for a walk around the park?" It would be almost romantic even, with the way the sun was setting. Marik could already envision the scene and couldn't help but smirk, more so at his thoughts than at Yami's happiness at the suggestion. Ryo would just die to know he had plans to reenact his favorite scenes from any _shoujo_ manga he's read. Maybe he would have to call Ryo after the date and talk with him.

There weren't many people out in the park and Marik relished in the silence. Even Yami seemed content in walking in silence, or at least he was until they reached the center of the park. As soon as they arrived there Marik found himself being dragged towards the cherub fountain, which thankfully wasn't one where the little creature was taking a piss into the fountain. Marik admitted he was the last one to understand the artistic aspect of such things, that was Ishizu's area of expertise, but how was it even remotely artsy to carve some little dick pissing? Perhaps it disgusted him mostly because it made him think of golden showers and Marik _did not_ like golden showers. That was Bakura's thing.

"The sunset is beautiful today." Yami said as he sat down and Marik turned his gaze away from the fountain to the perfect view of the sun descending into the ocean. He joined Yami on the edge of the fountain, grunting both at being off his feet and in agreement with Yami. "Is it anything like the sunsets in Egypt?"

Marik was slightly thrown at the question and he wasn't sure why. Glancing towards the ground, the blonde tried to think back to Egypt. It was almost horrible that he had all but forgotten his homeland in the few years he had been in Japan. "They're beautiful, too," Marik answered after another moment. "But I think the ones here are better. It's less blinding."

"Blinding..?"

"Yeah, you know, sand is just as reflective as water and since it's everywhere, it's a little hard to admire it."

Yami chuckled a little and leaned back on his hands, smiling a little and yet again Marik's stomach flipped. "I bet it's not that bad if you've been able to watch it set."

_He has a really nice profile._ Without giving it much thought, or give thought to what he had just thought, Marik leaned over and pressed his lips against Yami's. Red eyes snapped open and Marik couldn't help but find the way he gasped a little cute, so cute in fact that he had to take advantage of it. Reaching up Marik tangled his fingers in the pale boy's hair, surprised at how soft it was despite the way it was styled, and deepened the kiss. Marik was just about to pull away, satisfied with the stupefied look on the other's face, when Yami kissed back, reaching up to grip the front of his shirt. _Shit._ Yami was a _really _good kisser.

A small part of Marik wanted to be afraid of how the kiss hadn't gone the way he had planned, but every other fiber in Marik's being was pleasantly surprised. The kiss made Marik realize how long it had been since he had a good make-out with someone and he decided right then and there that what Yami did with others was not selfish at all and that it was in fact a good thing. In fact, he wished he could go up to them all and thank them for teaching the kid how to kiss the way he did.

A sudden beeping startled the two of them from the kiss and Marik couldn't help but feel annoyed, even more so when it turned out to be Yami's phone and after apologizing, he stood up to take the call. Smoothing out his shirt, Marik tried his best to calm his nerves and not think about how tempting it was to invite Yami back to his place. Marik didn't fuck on a first date – usually, anyway – and he needed a little bit of time to decide if he really wanted to go that far with a guy. _This is just a joke, and Yami just happens to be an amazing kisser. _At least it didn't sound like he was in denial about anything this time around.

Marik didn't even have the time to decide, as something had apparently come up and Yami had to leave, not without another kiss goodbye, but still leave almost as quickly and rushed as he had first arrived to the date. It really just annoyed Marik further even though it shouldn't have. He didn't know what sort of life Yami led and they sure as well weren't really dating. There was absolutely no reason for him to be jealous.

After staying near the fountain for another moment, Marik got up and started the journey back to his motorcycle, opening his own phone to call Ryo and ask him if he wanted to see a movie or something like that.


	10. Thursday AM

Just like on Tuesday morning, Yami was woken up from the sound of Nami Tamaki's _Realize _blaring from the nightstand right next to his bed. The only difference was that this time he didn't even bother to look in the general direction of his phone. He knew why Anzu was calling him and he didn't want to talk to her. It was too soon and Yami didn't trust himself not to get caught up in the emotions from the aftermath of it all.

His heart still contorted in pain as he remembered her expression when he said the words that had been past due to leave his mouth. _I'm sorry, Anzu, but I've found someone that I love more than you._ Those words had slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them. Anzu had called him to lament over Yugi, to ask how he was, and he hadn't minded until she had reached out to run her fingers through his hair just like Marik had done earlier that night. She hadn't even meant it in a romantic way, he knew that, but he had been overcome with the need to tell her those words.

They had agreed to be friends in the end, as if that meant something, but Yami had still been able to see the pain that pooled in her eyes and it pained him. No matter what happened between them, what had happened because of what they had done together, Yami never been able to hate her, just like he knew Yugi couldn't either. It was because he couldn't bring himself to think badly of her that he knew if he talked to her before he had talked to Marik – and more importantly apologize for leaving their date suddenly – that he'd end up comforting her and possibly finding his way into her bed again. Yami couldn't let that happen, not again. He couldn't stand the thought of hurting Yugi any more than he already had, and he would be damned if he did the same thing to Marik.

"I should text him and apologize." Yami murmured into the silence of his room. A glance at the digital clock on his nightstand, near his phone, helped Yami decide that was a bad idea. It was only a little past five in the morning and he knew better than to call the blonde so early. He'd just text him after breakfast before school, especially since he wouldn't be able to see him today in the dojo. Yami had decided the moment he had lied down in bed the night before that he wouldn't be going to school and he still didn't feel much like it.

_Should I let Yugi know?_ He was certain his twin would appreciate being told in advance if he needed to take extra notes for him, or at least to be aware to take notes in all the classes that they shared, even if he wouldn't be happy his older brother would be skipping class again.

Yami waited until he could hear his twin moving around in the room next to his before he pushed the sheets off him. He didn't even bother to grab a shirt, the thought of looking decent and not approaching his brother in just his boxer the last thing on his mind. The only thing he could think about was how he had a reason to reach out to his little Yugi and have his other half even look his way again. _I wonder if she's called him and told him what I said yet. _Yami thought as he reached up and knocked on Yugi's door. He was certain that Anzu still called him. _Or should I be the one to?_

His thoughts were cut short when Yugi, still looking half asleep, opened his door and stared up at him. There wasn't a hint of the frost Yugi usually regarded him with in his brilliant purple eyes or in his doll like face and Yami could feel his heart jump into his throat. The only expression on Yugi's face was one of confusion, but Yami was too happy to have his brother's gaze on him to care that they had grown distant enough that Yugi didn't know his changed sleeping schedule.

"What is it, _onii-san_?" Yugi asked, raising a hand to tiredly rub at his eyes.

"I was wondering if you could take notes for me today, _otouto_." Yami said and smiled, almost sheepishly, when Yugi's eyes gained enough clarity to narrow at him. "I'm not feeling well, so I'm going to stay home."

"I see." Yugi murmured, looking Yami up and down and the older of the two twins couldn't help but fidget. It was horribly obvious that Yugi was displeased with what he had told him. "I guess I could, but you're going to school on Friday, _onii-san_."

Yami nodded, his smile widening even though the formality Yugi spoke to him with almost broke his heart. _This is still the most he's talked to me for a while now._ "Thank you, _otouto_. I'll make it up to you, okay?"

"Have pizza ready for us tonight and I'll consider us even. Grandpa told me yesterday that he'll be working late tonight."

To say that Yami was shocked at Yugi's words would have been an understatement. For a moment he could only stare at the shorter teen before his smile widened to the point that Yami was afraid his face would split in half. "All cheese like usual?" Even though all Yugi did was nod and finally close his door, Yami was certain that nothing at all would be able to ruin his day. Even if Yugi decided that what he did was too horrible to forgive him for after they spent the night together eating pizza, as they used to always do, Yami thought that would be all right. Whatever his Yugi decided to give him that night would be good enough for him and he would eagerly take it.

The smile didn't fade from his lips even when he returned to his room. All Yami could think about was how wonderful it would be to spend some time with Yugi and how he had talked to him after so long. "I have to do something for him." Yami whispered to himself, tilting his head back to look up at his ceiling fan as he leaned against his door. He would need to think of something to do for Marik, too. But what, exactly, could he do?

* * *

Being alone in their big house that morning eventually gave Yami some ideas. Between cooking up his own breakfast long after Yugi and their grandfather left and watching TV while reading a book he'd been meaning to finish, Yami sent Marik a text apologizing for leaving their date suddenly and asking him on another one for Friday evening. While he wasn't yet sure what else he would do for Marik, Yami knew he'd think of something eventually and if nothing else, he would ask Ryo for some pointers seeing as Ryo was Bakura's lover.

What he planned to do for Yugi was something that was also something that had been overdue to happen. His thumb had hovered over the button to delete Anzu's number for a long time, but in the end all he could do was return her call and make plans to meet up before Yugi got home from working part time at the game shop. Yami couldn't stand to ignore her, though to say he was doing it just for her would be a lie. _I'm sorry, Anzu, but I have to do this all for Yugi._

It was amazing what one person could do to someone. It was a thought that plagued Yami the entire morning regardless of what he was doing. The thought commanded his attention even more when he finished the book and was left to do nothing else than to mindlessly watch TV. His memories of Marik, both from the dojo and then how he had looked as the sun set, before and after he had kissed him were brought to the forefront of his mind and Yami could feel the heat rush to his face as he bit his lip. _His lips had been so soft…_ He thought as he raised a hand to his mouth, his face burning more. Marik had been a good kisser as well, even if he hadn't stayed around long enough for Marik to see what he had done to him.

Yami moved so he was lying down and grabbed one of the pillows on the couch to hide his face in. "What am I even thinking?" How could he really just lie there and think about how much he wanted to be kissed again? The desire also brought up another question that made Yami feel like his whole body was aflame. _If… If we had sex, would I be the one to… to…_ The red-eyed teen buried his face further into the pillow.

The more he thought about it the more logically it seemed that he would be the one to submit in the bedroom, even if his ego nearly flinched at the thought, because Yami couldn't picture Marik as the type to give up the control in a situation like that or any situation at all. It was the air around Marik that made him think so and the thought of the Egyptian above him made him squirm for more than one reason. There wasn't anything about thinking about it all that turned Yami off and he couldn't help but wonder if it was natural. He felt his ego could be easily forgotten, despite it being used to being the one with most of the control, and that he could be the one to be receiving rather than giving.

_I wonder if Marik has thought about this._ Yami thought as he lowered the pillow from his face, which was beginning to lose its red color, to stare at the cartoon playing on the TV screen. He was certain that, if Marik had, there had been no doubt in his mind how things would end up in the bedroom. If he asked, Marik would likely point out what had happened in the showers. It had been something so simple and yet Marik had had all the control then. Just as easily as he had left Yami to his own devices, he could have started something and didn't and Yami was helpless.

And yet it didn't really bother him at all.

"But you can't do this with him so soon," Yami stressed to himself. He never had with any of his other week long dates and he wouldn't start with Marik. No matter how he felt about the older teen, to even think of sleeping with him when the week wasn't even up would be too similar to how things had gone with Anzu. _And look at where that's gotten you._

Sighing heavily, the pale teen moved to smother his face with the pillow again. That's where he stayed for a long while before he pushed himself up to take a cold shower and go out to buy a another book or maybe a new video game to distract himself until it was time to see Anzu again. It was all he could do, because Marik had yet to text him back to give him a reply, though there wasn't a doubt in his mind that they would end up going on a date again. Yami wouldn't accept no for an answer.


End file.
